The Art of Perfume Plus The Goodbye Lie Excerpt

                    

        As Waite continued to breathe her in, he mindlessly commented, "You should not smell so sweet." 

      Breelan responded with a proud smile. Was her perfume alone enough to drive him mad? What power woman had over man and what a thrill this power gave her. Her fear of him was forgotten, as she understood she had the upper hand.
      "You were never meant to wear such a light scent." His warm breath carried his words to her ear. "That fragrance is for old women and little girls. I have in mind something heavier for you, richer. It will better match the grown woman you are."

The Art of Perfume

   "Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart."  -Proverbs 27:9  

     "The perfume is not goods; its creation is an act of love. It must reflect the heart of the woman who will wear it."  -Robert Ricci 

     People have been wearing perfume for thousands of years.  Perhaps they got the idea from the the fumes of smoke or, maybe, burnt offerings.

     Technically, the first distilled essence or modern perfume was made in the 10th century when the Persian philosopher Avicenna [Abu Ali Sina or Ibn Sina] distilled rose petal oil for use as a medicine.  Everything was natural until 1868 when the first artificial scent was created.  Today, the perfume industry is worth billions.

Strong Scents

     Traditionally, perfume should only be applied strongly enough to be smelled 12 inches away.  But no matter how delicate the application, some people with sensitive allergies would prefer you forgo the use of scent completely when you will be traveling in a closed container such as an airplane.  As with most things, moderation is best.

Application

     Apply your perfume after showering or bathing, but if you have time, wait a few minutes since you've washed away the body oil that helps hold the scent on your skin.

     Don't rub perfume into your skin because it breaks down the scent.  Let it air dry by waving your arms.  You'll be getting very mild exercise to boot.

     Let perfume dry completely so the alcohol in it won't stain your clothes. 

     Wait until your perfume is dry before applying jewelry, including pearls or beads, so it won't discolor them.

     Layering scented lotion with perfume on top will make the scent last much long.

More Tips

     Holding the perfume bottle over your hair, spritz a few times and let the scent waft down upon your locks.

     For an instant, but expensive, air freshener, you can spray a few spritzes just above the floor.  As heat rises, so will the scent.

     Don't mix scents.

     Keep your perfume away from window sills and sunlight, which may degrade it.

     Don't buy large bottles of perfume.  You might tire of the scent.  Instead, purchase several different smaller sized perfumes to go with the different moods you may be feeling.
     Above all, if you have expensive perfume, wear it today.  Who better to enjoy it than you?  

Art of Wearing Perfume is reprinted from the original Gracious Jane Marie Newsletter by Nancy Kamp and Jane Marie Malcolm.  (I give us permission to run this article again.  It's an interesting little piece and I have other stuff to do, like work on my next novel, Amelia Island's Sand and Sin! - jmm)

The Goodbye Lie Series - Available in E-book and Paperback Here.

FYI: Breelan is the scond oldest sister in the family of four Dunnigan siblings in north Florida in 1882.  Life on an island is filled with sun and salty times and she is prime in the mix in the first novel in the series, The Goodbye Lie. Her naivete does not serve her well with regard to matters of the heart. She will learn from her mistakes, but not soon enough ...